Author Archives: WillV

The New York Times touts the Broadway musical “Hamilton” as one of the most discussed shows since The Book of Mormon, the religious satire which opened to much critical acclaim in 2011. The Wall Street Journal claims its the hottest ticket in New York City.

This play, which showcases the most important aspects of American history, has garnered more accolades than other popular musicals in memory. Of course, you must uncover the reason for the hype behind it before you rush to grab tickets.

As its name suggests, the musical traces the life of American founding father, Alexander Hamilton. The riveting lyrics and music are by rapper, actor, and celebrated composer Lin-Manuel Miranda. Miranda based the musical on the biography of Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. He imagined it as a musical after finishing the first few chapters. Chernow became the show’s historical consultant. Further research on the talented artist’s part revealed that there was a 1917 Broadway play which showcased Hamilton’s life. It had actor George Arliss in the starring role.

Miranda began the Hamilton musical endeavor with a project he named the Hamilton Mixtape. Organizers invited him to showcase music from In The Heights at the White House Evening of Poetry, but he wowed them with the first song of The Hamilton Mixtape instead. It later became the show’s opening number. The musical debuted at the Richard Rogers Theater on Broadway in August 2015.

The production story behind the musical is intriguing. For a start, the show and its dialogue are sung throughout, but this was not always so. Miranda had the help of a playwright. There was a spoken version of Act One, but the artist and his team found that it was hard to go back into speech if the show started with the opening number. Hence, a musical version of the first act developed.

How Miranda came up with the music will surprise you. He wrote King George’s song, which heralded the split between America and England, while on his honeymoon. Another song, Wait for It, was born on the subway. The lyrics in many of the numbers refer to other rap music and musicals. My Shot imitates parts of Mobb Deeps Shook Ones Part II. Miranda’s music has the approval of Stephen Sondheim, the man behind In the Woods.

Casting decisions are interesting as well. Miranda could not decide whether to play Hamilton or Aaron Burr at first. The two are contrasting characters; Burr preferred to take a back seat while Hamilton was dynamic. He felt that like he was in Burr’s position many times in his life. In the end, however, he chose to play Hamilton.

The stars of Hamilton are more charitable than you may think. They performed at events to raise money for the foundation that Eliza Hamilton initiated.

Miranda’s creative efforts have paid off in a big way. Advanced ticket sales on Broadway are unprecedented, and The American Broadway League lauded Hamilton with a record 16 Tony nominations. It won 11 of them, including the one for Best Musical. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences honored it with a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. To top it all off, it secured the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama as well.

What makes this musical hit the high notes of success? Watching a production such as this is rare. Written by a young, gifted composer, Hamilton has made a cultural impact across America. It gives history a fun edge. Teens and youth can connect with the songs, which rappers like Drake, LL Cool J and Kanye can perform. It enthralls you, although there are no special effects, montages or snapshots. Miranda’s commitment to improvement has steered the show to never-before-seen heights. He took the trouble to collect feedback from the audience after shows and matinees.

Note that producers scheduled his understudy, Javier Munoz to appear in his place as Alexander Hamilton when President Obama and his family watched one of the Saturday matinees. He did not change his plans, but stayed in the audience and clapped for Munoz instead. It is his endearing humility that continues to draw fans. The creative genius has left the production, but its storyline, lyrics, and music are so resilient that it will survive such dramatic changes. It will open in Chicago in September, and in San Francisco in 2017.

Why are Hamilton tickets so expensive? There are costs to cover. Though the show receives about $1.5 million per week in ticket sales, a significant part of the revenue goes to renting the Richard Rogers Theater and paying the actor’s salaries. Further compensation goes to artists who helped to develop the musical in workshops.

Costly as they are, you may find it getting your hands on Hamilton tickets an enormous task. At present, you can secure them through resellers, but they come at astronomical prices. They start at $139, and prized seats behind the orchestra are at an astounding $549. Some orchestra seats sell at a shocking $3334.

Take heart if you want to get your hands on tickets because there is hope. If you want to watch shows at the Richard Rogers Theater in NYC, you can leave your email on the contact page of the official site, hamiltononbroadway.com. To avoid ticket resellers and fraud, buy them from Ticketmaster, Broadway.com or Ticketmaster Plus. Look forward to shows in Chicago’s The PrivateBank Theatre, where it opens on September 27. There will be extended runs of future shows in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

This breakthrough showcase of American history promises to be running for a long time to come, so fret not if you find securing tickets a hassle. You will soon get a sense of its appeal because it will come to theaters near you.

Cats on Broadway Show

The musical that once took Broadway by storm is set to return. According to the original creator, he got the idea after reading a poem written by T.S. Eliot in a book titled “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats’. As soon as he got off the plane that day, he set pen to paper and created one of the most famous acts on Broadway. The musical ceased production after eighteen successful years. At the time, it had clocked in 7,485 performances, for those that can’t venture to Broadway to see it, there’s even a DVD of the show available.

This performance art musical centers around a group of cats known as Jellicles. On a special, they make “The Jellicle Choice’. This is when they determine which cat will get to go to Heaviside Layer. This is a type of heaven for the cats. After that, the cat comes back, with a new life.

The musical begins with all the cat characters dressed in cat costumes. They then proceed to act out “The Naming of Cats’. At this point, the audience begins to learn about each cat and its special characters. All the cats have a unique trait that makes them stand out. A special cat to watch out for is Grizabella “The Glamour Cat’. This cat helps to propel the entire story forward. The rest of the tribe members shun him despite him being a Jellicle Cat.

Grizabella was not in the original version of the production. The cat was only added after T.S. Eliot’s wife gave some unpublished materials to the creators of the musical. After studying the unpublished material, Andrew Lloyd Webber recreated the final masterpiece with Grizabella. T.S. Eliot had written the poem “Grizabella’ for his grandchildren. However, he felt that it was too sad a story and decided not to tell it.

Elaine Paige almost never made it to the musical. Her stroke of luck only came after Judi Dench got injured and they had to look for a replacement for her. The actor went on to produce a top ten recording of the song “Memory’ featured in this musical. The song “Memory’ has gone on to be recorded by more than 150 renowned artists the world over.

During the original show, it was the longest running production on Broadway. However, it has been surpassed by another musical also by Webber. The show is so beloved worldwide that it is now available on cruise ships. The cruise ship Oasis of the Seas intends to offer a full production of cats.

In the final scenes, the human Old Deuteronomy has to come up with a Jellicle choice. It is at this time that Grizabelle makes an appearance. She sings the now famous “Memory’ song. It is a recollection of a glorious past before things took a turn for the worst.

The other cats accept her back and give the Jellicle Choice to her. She gets the chance to go to Heaviside layer. Before the show ends, Old Deuteronomy will address the humans watching the entire event. The show has a happy conclusion and the audience leaves in high spirits. It is one of the highlights of performance art show in the last few decades.

Slava’s Snowshow

Slava’s Snowshow is a performance art show created and performed by Slava Polunin. He is a Russian theatre artist who fuses traditional and contemporary performance arts in clown developing for this show.Slava Polunin is a native of a small town called Novosil which is 225 miles in the south of Moscow. His love for Marcel Marceau and Charlie Chaplin encouraged him to develop a passion for clowning. He underwent training in St Petersburg where he perfected his performing arts skills in mimicry, street performances as well as visual comedy. This prompted him to set up his Litsedei, his first company in 1979. After presenting a sensational performance in Cirque du Soleil’s Alegria where he a minor artist, Slave then went on and created his on performance art show, Slava’s Snowshow.

This show has become a multi award-winning show, winning awards like Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience, Time Out Award in London and Olivier Award for Best Entertainment. The show was also nominated for Tony Awards for Best Special Theatrical Event. It has brought international awareness, thrilling viewers in more than 120 cities across the world. The show has made appearances in London, Sydney, New York and not forgetting its debut city, Moscow.

This show has been thrilling theatre-goers for more than 20 years. Slava,s Snowshow presents a wonderful fantasy world, which most audiences have never seen, a world where a cobweb cloaks the audience and a small piece of paper starts a heart-stopping blizzard of snow. The show combines hilarity and pathos with spectacular, breathtaking performance at the show. The Slava’s Snowshow is a science in which Slava is an expert. The show is always seen to seek a new artistic challenge that keeps the team’s stage show attention-grabbing. The show changes direction, style and mood while performing to keep it interesting.

Slava’s Snowshow inherits a tradition dated back to the performance art show of ancient Rome and Greece. Therefore, Polunin presents the art of the foreigners. Slava is the figure of amusement in this show and covertly, wisest of all. He performs like a stumbling fool who, as a matter of fact is more dexterous than everyone else. He is fully grown up, but he still retains his child-like sensation and imagination. This show is poetic and emotional, a performing art that turns the natural scene of clowning into a great skill of visual grace. This show has numerous magical transformations and combines slapstick with stunning imagery. It gradually builds towards the triumphant closing sequence which brings amusement to the audience. This show is a visual masterwork adored by children and adults alike.

Slava also uses silent cinema to thrill his audience. He borrows this from Marceau, who was a great artist, who used great magic silence to grab the attention of spectators. He also borrows performing art styles from Jean-Louis Barrat, a French actor and a well-renowned artist.Although the show has been running from late 1980’s, it has been reinventing arts now and then. Polunin considers the significance of spontaneity as the key to ensuring that his shows remain creative.